Avila is the 344th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Wisconsin Rapids Rafter Nick Avila made his Major League debut for the San Francisco Giants on Monday, April 1, 2024. Avila is the 344th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Avila, who played collegiately at California State University, Long Beach, played for the Rafters in 2017. He was drafted by the Giants in the 26th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
In 2017 with the Rafters, Avila appeared in 18 games and was 2-1 with a 2.80 ERA. He struck out 26 batters in 35.1 innings and had one save.
Avila started his professional career in 2019 with the Giants Orange team in the Rookie level Arizona League. After nine games he was sent to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Short-Season A Northwest League. Between the two clubs he was a combined 0-2 with .95 ERA across 10 games. He struck out 14 batters in 28.1 innings while walking eight.
In 2021 he spent the full year with the Eugene Emeralds of the Hi-A West League. In 25 appearances he was 5-7 with a 6.51 ERA. His strikeout numbers climbed though with 78 in 76.0 innings.
Avila started 2022 with Eugene and then moved up to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the AA Eastern League. For the season, he pitched in 47 games and had a 1.14 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 55.1 innings.
In 2023 Avila spent the full year with the Sacramento River Cats of the AAA Pacific Coast League. In 56 games he was 14-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 64 batters in 72.0 innings and had three saves.
Avila started the 2024 season with Sacramento and pitched in one game, strikeout out two in 1.0 innings. In his Major League debut against the Dodgers, Avila entered the game in relief and pitched 2.0 innings and struck out two.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 340 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play
